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KYRGYZSTAN:
Interview with the chair of national Uyghur society
17 Feb 2005 16:11:20 GMT
Source: IRIN
BISHKEK, 17 February (IRIN) - Rozimuhammed Abdulbakiev
is the head of Ittipak, the national society of
Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan. Many Uyghurs live in exile in
the former Soviet republic, after fleeing the
heavy-handed Chinese state repression of their
activities, labelled as "nationalist" by Beijing, in
their native Xinjiang Province, a vast region that
occupies a sixth of China's land mass.
Rights groups cite a serious rise in human rights
abuses against the Uyghur minority of northwest China,
while Beijing has claimed to be faced by "religious
extremist forces" and "violent terrorists" in the
region for more than a decade. Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan
say they face discrimination, given Bishkek's desire
to remain on good terms with its giant neighbour. Many
say they have suffered human rights abuses at the
hands of the Kyrgyz authorities, including deportation
to China.
QUESTION: What are the main goals of your organisation?
ANSWER: Ittipak has several main goals, including
support for an open society in Kyrgyzstan, the
protection of human rights and, of course, the
preservation and development of Uyghur culture and
language. We want peace and ethnic harmony in
Kyrgyzstan and we try to contribute to this
integration process.
Q: What sort of discrimination do Uyghurs in
Kyrgyzstan suffer from?
A: One of the main problems Uyghurs face is that some
mass media and government officials wrongly label us
as criminals and terrorists. It is bad, because crime
and good deeds do not have a nationality. If an
article showing Uyghurs in a negative light is
published in a newspaper, immediately problems occur
in everyday life and many ordinary Uyghurs feel it.
Another issue is the Uyghur language. During Soviet
times Uyghurs here did not have the chance to learn
their own language. Therefore, the majority of Uyghurs
in the north of Kyrgyzstan studied in Russian schools
and some of them do not speak Uyghur at all, while in
the south of the country, the majority of Uyghurs
studied in Uzbek schools, and view Uzbek as their
native language. Concerning Uyghurs in Isyk-kul and
Naryn oblasts [regions], Uyghurs studied in Kyrgyz
schools and now they speak in Kyrgyz.
Q: Beijing has labelled Ittipak a separatist
organisation. Is this the case?
A: We believe that there is a totalitarian regime in
the PRC [People's Republic of China] and anyone who
disagrees with Chinese government policy is considered
a separatist. We understand we are citizens of
Kyrgyzstan, but at the same time the reality of the
suffering of Uyghur people [in China] is not a matter
of indifference to us. It is natural that we cannot
keep silent about genocide and the oppression of the
Uyghur people in the XUAR (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region). Uyghurs are not Han Chinese and they had
their own state and autonomy in the past.
Uyghurs continue to face oppression in the XUAR: the
mass resettlement of the Han Chinese from central
regions to the XUAR; the limitation of the Uyghur
birth rate and denial of our language and cultural
rights. Eastern Turkistan, where we come from, was
occupied by communist China in 1949; therefore we
think that Uyghurs have the right to
self-determination. This is naturally interpreted by
Beijing as separatism.
Q: What sort of problems do Uyghurs newly arrived from
the XUAR face when they arrive in Kyrgyzstan?
A: Kyrgyzstan has a common border with China and there
are many Uyghurs from the XUAR here now. I know that
they have many problems, but unfortunately few of them
come to our office because every contact with us is
considered by the Chinese authorities as a contact
with a "separatist" organisation, and people who do
come here will have problems at home [in the XUAR].
However, some people visit us discreetly and then we
explain the laws, the rules for staying in Kyrgyzstan
and answer questions concerning refugee status. The
main problem faced by such Uyghurs is that they come
here seeking asylum in a third country for different
reasons. Some of them get help from UNHCR [the office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees].
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